Complaint By Fred Karger Triggers FEC Investigation Of Rick Santorum

Former GOP presidential candidate Fred Karger, the eternal thorn in the backside of NOM, has struck again.

The Federal Election Commission is asking former presidential candidate Rick Santorum, Iowa evangelical leader Bob Vander Plaats and an anti-gay marriage organization to tell the agency why it should not investigate an allegation that they violated campaign finance limits during the last election. The complaint, brought by Fred Karger, a gay rights activist who ran a quixotic campaign for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012, accuses Santorum of coordinating with the National Organization for Marriage to pay $1 million to Vander Plaats to endorse him, with the money eventually going for ads backing Santorum. That would be a violation of campaign finance law. The move by the FEC is routine when a complaint meets basic requirements. In June, the FEC sent letters to Karger and the accused: Santorum, Vander Plaats and NOM. The three now can respond to the FEC with reasons why it should not investigate the matter. "This letter signals the beginning of the beginning," said Craig Engle a campaign finance attorney at Arent Fox who is not connected to the case.

Back in December 2011, I noted that Progress Iowa had made a similar demand that the FEC look into reports that Vander Plaats had demanded a $1M payoff to endorse Santorum. (Tipped by JMG reader David)